HELP--checkered rug bled

I bought 3 red/white cotton checkered rugs. One got wet so I put in the washer with cold water and salt (I had heard this worked to set in your dye!) OK--so it didn't!! I still have 2 rugs and I want to preserve their color! What do I use--they are used in a kitchen SO they WILL get wet and dirty!!

Thanks!! Sijka

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sijka
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"sijka" wrote in news:mXaCb.145039$ snipped-for-privacy@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com:

Salt and cold water is what my mom always used to set color and it always seemed to work. Your rug may have a dye that you can't prevent running. Off hand, I don't know of another solution.

Wayne

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

Maybe Woolite Dye Magnet would allow them to be washed With out the white absorbing the red color.

Reply to
Baroness Benachi

Sijka

Dye is usually set at temperature using salts (or neo salts) to help adhere the dye to the fibres. When heated to the same temperature again the dye begins to migrate through the fibre wall and is free again to bleed or redeposit somewhere else. Obviously, if you use cold water then you don't have to have any heat to get the dye to migrate.

In addition red happens to be very difficult to fix - I would never buy a red and another light coloured item as you are almost bound to get colour bleed, unless you are buying polyester.

There is nothing you can use to now set the dye, any attempt will simply start the dye running.

Sorry

-- DrClean

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DrClean

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